On Jan. 17, the Dutch Consumer and Markets Authority (ACM) said Apple had decided to adjust the App Store's policy on dating apps in response to regulatory demands. In this regard, ACM will conduct further evaluation.
It is understood that in December 2021, ACM ordered Apple to adjust the App Store policy, allowing dating app developers to freely choose the payment system.
At the time, ACM surveys found that app developers using the App Store had to pay Apple $99 a year for their services. If developers need to offer paid or subscription services, such as dating apps, Apple will also attach other conditions. In fact, dating app developers can only serve Apple users through the App Store, which makes them highly dependent on Apple and can only accept Apple's conditions.
But in ACM's view, these conditions are disproportionate to additional payment services, and Apple's policies are unreasonable and violate competition rules. As a result, ACM requires Apple to make adjustments within the deadline or face a fine of up to €50 million.
To that end, Apple applied to a Dutch court to block ACM from publishing its decision and applied for a temporary stay of the order.
Then, on December 24, the District Court for Rotterdam in the Netherlands ruled that Apple allow dating app developers to offer users an alternative payment option by January 15, 2022. In addition, the court suspended some of ACM's penalty decisions and reduced the amount of the fine.
In this case, Apple chose compliance and continued to appeal. On January 14, Apple announced that in order to comply with ACM's orders, it would introduce two optional new rights that only apply to dating apps on the Dutch App Store, giving users additional payment processing options.
Apple also reminded app developers that because it cannot verify the security of payment methods outside the system, Apple will not be able to provide refunds, purchase history, subscription management and other services for users who pay outside the system.
But Apple also said that the ACM's order was not in the best interests of users and would therefore appeal to a higher court. "We are concerned that these changes could harm the user experience and pose new threats to user privacy and data security. At the same time, we are obliged to implement the mandatory changes launched today, and we will provide further information shortly. ”
In a Jan. 17 statement, the ACM said it would assess whether Apple's latest policy complies with regulatory requirements. "As part of this assessment, ACM will sit down and discuss with dating app providers and other interested parties."
Synthesis/Compilation: Nandu reporter Huang Liling